1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a pick holder that is adapted for the temporary storage and protection of a musical pick that is employed for plucking strings of a stringed musical instrument. The present invention specifically relates to a pick holder which is removably coupled to a peg fixably mounted to a stringed instrument or to a button on a shirt, a key ring, or other fixed reference object.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention relates to holders and, more particularly, to holders for plectra (i.e., more commonly known as picks).
A performer playing a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, usually uses a plectra (more commonly known as a pick) to excite the strings into a vibratory mode and produce musical notes. The pick often becomes misplaced during a performance, may break, or otherwise become unusable. For example, a performer may lose the pick into the interior of the guitar. Accordingly, ready access to additional picks is important.
Presently, performers maintain a supply of picks in their shirt pockets, on a table, chair or other surface near the performance area. Typically, a performance must be interrupted in order to find a substitute pick for the pick that is lost or damaged.
Also, performers and non-performers alike require a place to store picks between practicing and performances (especially with the instrument).
Furthermore, although there are prior art pick holders of various configurations (e.g., Tisher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,531; Vaughn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,708; and Rosen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,232), these holders are fixably coupled to the stringed instrument and cannot be removed from the instrument without damage to the wood finish on these instruments. For example, prior art holders employ adhesives and tapes to fixably mount either the pick holder or an assembly that receives the pick holder directly to the stringed instrument (i.e., the stringed instrument surface). As the stringed instruments are typically made out of expensive wood, it is desirable for a pick holder that is removably coupled to a stringed instrument without damage to the wood finish.
Because the prior art pick holders are fixedly coupled to the instrument, these holders are not portable. Furthermore, the prior art pick holders also are generally not attachable to other objects (e.g., one's clothing, key chain, etc.). Moreover, these prior art pick holders are generally awkward and difficult to install and use.
Accordingly, there remains an unmet need for a portable pick holder that can be removably attached to a stringed instrument without damage to the instrument and that is flexibly adapted to be removably coupled to other objects.